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Scuderia Non Originale ™

“It would be a drab world without meaningless social aggregations. There would be a lot fewer smiles.” — Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Art copyright 2009 Anna-Louise Felstead. Used with permission. You can see more of her wonderful work by clicking here.

http://www.alfelstead.com

SNO News Is Good News!

Scuderia Non Originale Headquarters, Washougal, Washington, January 1, 2018: Scuderia Non Originale™ (SNO), still the world’s fastest growing club for Italian motoring enthusiasts, announces that its 2018 calendar of events will be the same as that of every other year … completely blank! The group’s founding directors promise to maintain their original commitment to hold no meetings, publish no newsletters, and collect no dues or fees of any type. Thus, the calendar is completely free so you can enjoy your car(s) for yet another year in absolute peace.

Despite the lack of club activities – or perhaps because of that — SNO expects to continue adding members from around the world. SNO offers what other groups do not, a friendly acceptance of all Italian car and motorcycle enthusiasts, especially those who modify their vehicles. And, did we mention, no dues?

If you’ve been hassled by the Non Originale Police because your Italian car or motorcycle isn’t exactly as it left the factory, we’re the group for you. And just to prove our classic car hearts are in the right place, you’re also welcome if your vehicle is absolutely, perfectly, Q-tip clean and box stock. Heck, some of our members regularly win awards at concours de elegance competitions … and we still like them!

“Who are these guys?”

That’s the question frequently heard at car shows and rallies, as uniformed “originale police” spot our non originale cars, many of which display our not quite correct club logos. The answer is that Scuderia Non Originale™ (SNO) was founded by a group of Alfisti in October of 2004, at the annual Concorso Italiano in Monterey, California. The charter members are from the San Francisco Bay Area, mostly in the region south of San Francisco widely known as Silicon Valley. They include three engineers (Tom Sahines, Richard Lane and Ben Lamprecht), an auto parts manager and former Alfa mechanic (Steve Smith), a former Yahoo web wizard who now works for the government (Ted Williams), and retired business owner (Gary Williams).

Cars include a wide variety of Italian fun machines, from Alfas to Maseratis. The list includes a Ferrari 275 GTB, a Ghibli, an assortment of Giuliettas, Giulias, Junior Zagatos, Milanos, Alfettas, 164s, and an ever-growing list of other Italian sports cars and motorcycles. We’ve even got the one and only Stovebolt HWM racer, not an Alfa, but very much connected to Alfa’s racing history. For photos of member cars please look under the “Category” heading in the left menu. You’ll find several pages filled with pictures and stories.

A motto for the group was proposed years ago: Andiamo Lesti Fumando Assai (We go fast, making much smoke!). Some would like to see us adopt a less deprecatory motto. Others think Andiamo Lentamente Fumando Assai is more appropriate (We go slowly, spewing smoke). This entry shows the high intellectual level of the group and has promise: Veni Vidi Veloce (I came, I saw, I went fast). Thanks to Greg Gordon for that one. We’ll keep you posted regarding any late-breaking decisions from the rules committee, once we appoint one, but since we don’t like NO rules and we don’t hold NO meetings, it may take a few more years to make a decision.

On the other hand, if enough of us congregate at Concorso Italiano one fine August, and those who can’t attend weigh in via e-mail, we might just eventually select a motto.

View pages of Italian car & motorcycle photos — see Categories, in the left column

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About Gary

I've been an Italian car enthusiast since purchasing my first Alfa in 1966. My work background includes magazine and book publishing; high tech corporate communications; helping found two ministries; and, with my wife, running our own design and manufacturing business. I've been a Christ follower by my own choice since the age of nine.